The invention relates to the genetic manipulation of plants, particularly to transforming plants with genes that enhance disease resistance.
Disease in plants is caused by biotic and abiotic causes. Biotic causes include fungi, viruses, bacteria, and nematodes. Of these, fungi are the most frequent causative agent of disease on plants. Abiotic causes of disease in plants include extremes of temperature, water, oxygen, soil pH, plus nutrient-element deficiencies and imbalances, excess heavy metals, and air pollution.
A host of cellular processes enables plants to defend themselves from disease caused by pathogenic agents. These processes apparently form an integrated set of resistance mechanisms that is activated by initial infection and then limits further spread of the invading pathogenic microorganism.
Subsequent to recognition of a potentially pathogenic microbe, plants can activate an array of biochemical responses. Generally, the plant responds by inducing several local responses in the cells immediately surrounding the infection site. The most common resistance response observed in both nonhost and race-specific interactions is termed the xe2x80x9chypersensitive responsexe2x80x9d (HR). In the hypersensitive response, cells contacted by the pathogen, and often neighboring cells, rapidly collapse and dry in a necrotic fleck. Other responses include the deposition of callose, the physical thickening of cell walls by lignification, and the synthesis of various antibiotic small molecules and proteins. Genetic factors in both the host and the pathogen determine the specificity of these local responses, which can be very effective in limiting the spread of infection.
The hypersensitive response in many plant-pathogen interactions results from the expression of a resistance (R) gene in the plant and a corresponding avirulence (avr) gene in the pathogen. This interaction is associated with the rapid, localized cell death of the hypersensitive response. R genes that respond to specific bacterial, fungal, or viral pathogens, have been isolated from a variety of plant species and several appear to encode cytoplasmic proteins.
The resistance gene in the plant and the avirulence gene in the pathogen often conform to a gene-for-gene relationship. That is, resistance to a pathogen is only observed when the pathogen carries a specific avirulence gene and the plant carries a corresponding or complementing resistance gene. Because avrR gene-for-gene relationships are observed in many plant-pathogen systems and are accompanied by a characteristic set of defense responses, a common molecular mechanism underlying avrR gene-mediated resistance has been postulated. A simple model which has been proposed is that pathogen avr genes directly or indirectly generate a specific molecular signal (ligand) that is recognized by cognate receptors encoded by plant R genes.
Both plant resistance genes and corresponding pathogen avirulence genes have been cloned. The plant kingdom contains thousands of R genes with specific specificities for viral, bacterial, fungal, or nematode pathogens. Although there are differences in the defense responses induced during different plant-pathogen interactions, some common themes are apparent among R gene-mediated defenses. The function of a given R gene is dependent on the genotype of the pathogen. Plant pathogens produce a diversity of potential signals, and in a fashion analogous to the production of antigens by mammalian pathogens, some of these signals are detectable by some plants.
The avirulence gene causes the pathogen to produce a signal that triggers a strong defense response in a plant with the appropriate R gene. However, expressing an avirulence gene does not stop the pathogen from being virulent on hosts that lack the corresponding R gene. A single plant can have many R genes, and a pathogen can have many avr genes.
As noted, among the causative agents of infectious disease of crop plants, the phytopathogenic fungi play the dominant role. Phytopathogenic fungi cause devastating epidemics, as well as causing significant annual crop yield losses. All of the approximately 300,000 species of flowering plants are attacked by pathogenic fungi. However, a single plant species can be host to only a few fungal species, and similarly, most fungi usually have a limited host range.
Plant disease outbreaks have resulted in catastrophic crop failures that have triggered famines and caused major social change. Generally, the best strategy for plant disease control is to use resistant cultivars selected or developed by plant breeders for this purpose. However, the potential for serious crop disease epidemics persists today, as evidenced by outbreaks of the Victoria blight of oats and southern corn leaf blight. Accordingly, molecular methods are needed to supplement traditional breeding methods to protect plants from pathogen attack.
Compositions and methods for creating or enhancing resistance to plant pests are provided. The method involves stably transforming a plant with an avirulence gene operably linked with a promoter capable of driving expression of a gene in a plant cell. The avirulence gene product is capable of interacting with a complementing resistance gene in the plant. Where necessary, a plant can be stably transformed with both an avirulence gene and with the complementing resistance gene, both of which are operably linked with an appropriate promoter.
It is recognized that a variety of promoters will be useful in the invention the choice of which will depend in part upon the desired level of expression of the avirulence and/or the resistance genes in the plant, or alternatively, in the plant organ in which expression is desired. It is recognized that the levels of expression can be controlled to induce the disease resistance pathway resulting in levels of immunity in the plant or to induce cell death.
The methods of the invention find use in controlling plant pests, including fungal pathogens, viruses, nematodes, insects, and the like.
Transformed plants and seeds, as well as methods for making such plants and seeds are additionally provided.